Morning journal and courier., 1887-05-27
ALEAD1NG MAN CONE.

terday morning at o'clock, the city loses one of it's foremost and most esteemed citi-
 zens. He was one who will be greatly missed
 and whose death will be sincerely regretted l in all ranks of life in the community. The news of his critical illness was spoken of with
 sorrow by rich and poor, in the business
 house, the shop, the store and the factory, and in the family circle, the deceased having
 SO long been one of our leading citizens and
 one who from his native worth, his unfailing
 urbanity, his sterling qualities of head and
 heart, his prominent business and commer-
 cial position, had held place of honor and | influence in our community which few have
 the privilege to attain. His name was
 synonym for honor, integrity, sound busi-
 ness judgment and acknowledged high social
 position. His New England ancestry dates
 back to the settlement of New Haven colony
 and our Historical society interests have ever
 been near to his heart. He was, though so
 near seventy-seven years of age, of erect car
 riage and eyes undimmed, with port and
 handsome face and figure which well bespoke
 the surroundings of wealth and opulence
 and station of influence, while his face be- spoke also an honorable career and life well
 spent. He was merchant of 8
 type which honors the community, the city
 and the State, and his record adds another
 link to the long line of Connecticut commer-
 cial leaders whose names have reflected lustre
 on our little commonwealth. The Center
 church will miss him. In the sanctuary wor-
 ship he delighted, and his time and services,
 especially in his younger days, were freely at
 the disposal of the church and it's interests.
 His name will long be cherished in our midst.
 The deceased leaves to deeply mourn his loss
 wife, four sons, Henry Trowbridge, Thom-
 bridge, Rutherford Trowbridge, and two
 daughters, Miss Caroline H. Trowbridge and
 Mrs. E. E. Rogers. His wife was Caroline
 Hoadley, daughter of Captain Simeon Hoad-
 ley, and they were married September IT, ] 1884. He leaves also one brother, Ezekiel
 H. Trowbridge, one of our leading townsmen and residing on Temple street. Another ! brother, equally prominent in our communi-
 ty, was the late Henry Trowbridge, who resided on the corner of Temple l and Grove streets and died a 1 few years ago. The family derives
 it's name from the ancient inheritance of l Trowbridge in the parish of Creditor in Dev- 1 onshire, England, where their ancestors re- | sided for centuries. It belonged to Peter dc l Trowbridge in the reign of Edward I.
 Thomas Trowbridge, the progenitor of | those of the name in America, emigrated | from Taunton, Somersetshire, England, not l later than 1886 and probably as early as ! 1884. He first settled at Dorchester, Mass, | but his son thereafter came to New Haven. | His oldest son, Thomas, was born in Eng | 1 erford; hence the middle name of the sub ject of this obituary notice. The extensive foreign trade which the family conducted for many years was estab- | lished by Henry Trowbridge in the early part of the nineteenth century. He was born July 30, 17S1, and at eighteen engaged l l in mercantile pursuits. The firm of H. l Trowbridge, Son 6 Dwight was organized to | carry on the business afterwards, and on the I retirement of Mr. Dwight in 1S47 the firm of | 70 ,l@,,s1 O. d. successors. Henry Trowbridge died in 1849 | at the age of seventy years, and his four sons l subsequently, continued the business under l the firm style of H. Trowbridge's Sons, which | name is retained to this day.
 Concerning the death of the founder of l this representative house the JOURNAL AND ! COURIER of that date said: "He was a lineal 1 descendant of one of the proprietors of the l town, and for long time he was the head ! of one of the largest shipping houses in the | State. He was widely known to commercial l men at home and abroad. He was wise and | sagacious and by means of his talents and | wealth he exercised great influence in our | community. He was most liberal in his | gifts for the spread of the gospel and other | religious and charitable causes"
 Thomas R. Trowbridge was the son of | Henry and Harriet Trowbridge, nee Hayes, l a cousin of Rutherford B. Hayes, ,ex-President of the United States, who, during his visit to this city while he was President, was the | guest of the deceased. The deceased was one | of the many Connecticut men who attained | an honorable distinction who were pupils at | Partridge's celebrated military academy in \ Middletown, Conn. MT. Trowbridge entered | the counting house of his father at sixteen | years of age, and had since for sixty-two l years been actively connected with the | management of the business. In 1875 he | bought out the interest in the house of his | brother Ezekiel, who had other financial in- | terests claiming his attention, and the firm | had since consisted of Thomas R. Trow- bridge, Henry Trowbridge, T. R. Trowbridge, jr., W. R. H. Trowbridge and Rutherford Trowbridge.
 From his first prostration by illness seve- ral weeks ago the symptoms had been such, involving the heart and brain and other or gans, as to leave but little hope for his recov- cry. The diagnoses of the disease by his physicians, first of the homeopathic, then of the old school, were substantially alike For 8 considerable part of his illness he had at times command of his mental faculties and conversed with those about him and often in hopeful, cheering words His illness was unattended with pain or bodily suffering and his death was quiet like one falling asleep.
 The funeral will occur at the residence next Monday afternoon at 4 o'clock.
 Following is an account of the life of de- ceased from the TroWbridge family book:
 Thomas Rutherford Trowbridge, son of Henry and Harriet (Hayes) Trowbridge, was born July r, 1910, and was the oldest mem Der of the firm of Henry Trowbridge's Sons, firm well known as more extensively en- gagged in the West India trade than any oth- CT house in the State. The business has been prosecuted by the members of the firm for several successive generations, who have thereby acquired wealth and extensive infiu- ence among their fellow citizens. The various objects of public welfare and of Christian be- nevolence have shared largely in the bene- factions and personal influence of the de- ceased. As an evidence of the esteem in | which he was held by his fellow citizens and throughout the State, the State Republican committee made choice of him as candidate | for Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut with | the Hon. William A. Buckingham for Governor, an honor which he positively and consistently declined, much to the cha grin of the party. Had he accepted the nomination he would have been triumphant ly elected, as the ticket on which he was offered the nomination succeeded by an over- whelming majority and held the ground for nine successive years. At the breaking out l of ths war MT. Trowbridge threw his whole soul into the cause of liberty, and although too far advanced in life to actively enter the field he aided in sustaining the government in every possible way by his influence and wealth.
 When the Tenth Connecticut regiment of volunteers broke camp with orders to pro. ceed to the rendezvous beautiful State flag was presented to them by Mr. regiment by his wife and daughter. He afterwards presented flags to several Connecticut regiments and swords to nu- merous officers, and was the first to provide flag which was raised and kept flying on the steeple of Center church. He was one of the most active citizens in New Haven in forming the sanitary commission, and con- tributed greatly to it's success by pecuniary assistance as we'll as personal s:rvice. When the time arrived in that great struggle to maintain the life of the nation that rendered draft necessary to furnish soldiers for the army, on the very day of the draft, when a crowd numbering from three to five thou sand assembled at the north portico of the State House in New Haven, a citizens meet ing was organized with MT. Trowbridge for chairman. Prominent citizens immediately | came forward with offers of money for the encouragement of volunteers. Different individuals of- fered $15 each for volunteers, some pledg ing that amount apiece for several men. MT. Trowbridpe stood at the head of that noble